The Bank of Jamaica headquarters in downtown Kingston.
Lavern Clarke, Staff Reporter
THE BANK of Jamaica has reconstructed its Internet site to make it more interactive and user friendly.
Now the central bank's home page offers immediate information on foreign exchange trades and monetary data, and provides linkages to the latest news on the financial instruments it offers to the market, current economic data.
Previously, the home page consisted of the bank's logo and an invitation to enter for information. The new site is also the repository of an electronic database on the bank's economic and regulatory functions, its history, monetary policy, publications, archived data, background on the Jamaican currency, and how the decisions are made on what notes and coins are put in circulation.
It provides the latest exchange, inflation and interest rates, plus net international reserves data.
Designed and hosted by iMeX Technologies, the Web site also allows the user to customise sections of the data pool - that is, select categories of information it wants to view together.
BoJ Governor, Derick Latibeaudiere, said Tuesday that the site, www.boj.gov.jm got over 200,000 hits when it was relaunched in October, in addition to favourable comments on the quality, quantity and format.
The bank's aim is to provide the public with timely economic data on which they make "well-informed, long-term decisions," said the central bank governor, adding that the Web site was one of several avenues through which the monetary agency has sought to remain transparent - the others being its publications, seminars and speeches.
